Music is important enough to mark the significant moments in one’s life. All over the world, birth, marriage and death are reason enough to play music. In the Roman Catholic Church, the funeral’s musical setting has evolved into an independent art form: the requiem. ‘Requiem’ means 'peace', which is a strange title for a composition. If you listen to Verdi’s Requiem, you immediately hear how misplaced it is. Only fifty years ago, John Cage took the title seriously. He called his piece not peace, but 4'33" (the duration of the peace).

Cappella Gabrieli with Domestica. Photo: Willem Stoop

You of course know that we owe the title to the first line of the requiem mass: ‘Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine’ (Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord). The first polyphonic requiem dates from the mid-fifteenth century, and thousands of requiems followed.

Meanwhile people still die, but do not all still think that angels will carry them to paradise, or expect eternal peace from God. Is there is no music for them? Yes, there is now now. And we are going to sing it.

Sopranos and basses. Photo: Willem Stoop

Joop Voorn composed Schweigsamer Tod especially for Cappella Gabrieli. The work is a long musical reflection on death, with beautiful German poetry (Rilke, Hölderlin, Heine, Hesse ...). You can easily call this work a philosophical requiem. In addition, we will sing one of the most popular requiems of all time - Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem - and motets by Brahms.